Life of a Dove and Rose Knight

The expectation for a Knight of the Dove and Rose is quite simple and should not even add a burden to one’s already taxed spiritual life of devotions, novenas and such. That expectation is to commit to being the most fully Catholic one can be with the grace of Jesus Christ. Here, we do not have required prayers or some form of rule of life. No matter our state in life, be that single, married, priest, or religious, we are seeking the fullness of Christ’s Kingdom in our own lives and to then courageously share that life with the world in a joyful spirit of evangelism. We are open to all who are faithful to the Church’s magisterium and to our Holy Father, the Pope, and even to those outside the Church who share our vision and mission. We know that there are many reasons why any particular person may not be in full communion with the Church, and we judge neither that situation nor the person. We only ask for a sincere spirit of communion.

The one thing that is particular to a Dove and Rose Knight, however, is that we put ourselves under the most loving and gracious care of our two magnificent sisters in Christ, Ste Jeanne d’Arc and Ste Thérèse de Lisieux. The key to being a Knight of the Dove (Ste Jeanne) and Rose (Ste Thérèse), that which distinguishes us, is that we strive to live in union of heart, mind, and soul with Jeanne and Thérèse that they may lead us faithfully to the very center of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our glorious Queen in heaven. Through total consecration to the Holy Virgin (such as prescribed by St. Louis de Montfort), we then obtain the safest passage to our King in Heaven and receive the greatest graces for evangelization. We effectively aim to assist Jeanne and Thérèse in their work of saving souls, and we are, in turn, grateful recipients of their patronage and heavenly guidance.

As Knights of the Dove and Rose, we believe that Sts. Jeanne and Thérèse are on a Divine Mission, decreed by the Holy Virgin and through the Holy Spirit, to aid us in renewing our own lives, the life of the Church through us, and the life of the world through the Church. Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Sacred Tradition in general all speak to the exalted roles the saints play with us in bringing about the Kingdom of God through the Church:

“His master said to him, “Well done good and trustworthy servant; you have shown yourself trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” (Mt 25:21, New Jerusalem)

“So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods… They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they profer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus…So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.” (CCC paragraphs 955, 956)

“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.” (St. Dominic, dying, to his brothers, CCC, paragraph 956)

“It is God’s will that inferior beings should be helped by all those that are above them, wherefore we ought to pray not only to the higher but also to the lower saints; else we should have to implore the mercy of God alone… for the Divine Order is such that lower beings receive an overflow of the excellence of the higher, even as the air receives the brightness of the sun…we pray to the saints, whether angels or men, not that God may through them know our petitions, but that our prayers may be effective through their prayers and merits.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIa, IIae, Question 83, Article 11)

The King and Lord of the heavens set down this law from all eternity that the gifts of his Providence should come to the lower through intermediaries. Hence Dionysius in the Celestial Hierarchy 5 says, ‘It is the most sacred law of the divinity that things in the middle should be led to his most divine light by first things.’ ” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Preface to the sermon, On the Commendation of Sacred Scripture)

Therefore, we are honored to be particularly devoted to Sts. Jeanne and Thérèse as our distinguishing mark. We are edified to be united with them in the hierarchy of the Divine Order, where we adore Christ Jesus in the worship of latria as true God and true man, the Savior of the human race and the only mediator between God and men, where we glorify and honor our most holy and immaculate Queen, the Virgin Mary, in the worship of hyper-dulia, and we honor our sisters, Jeanne and Thérèse in the worship of dulia as sinners now glorified in heaven. The Knight of the Dove and Rose leaves him or herself open to this mystical partnership with Jeanne and Thérèse.

Indeed, based on the infinite merits and goodwill of Jesus Christ, we can without the least anxiety, abandon ourselves to the generous, prayerful, intercessory support of our glorious Holy Mother Mary and our most honorable heavenly sisters, Jeanne d’Arc and Thérèse de Lisieux, for by the grace of God our Father, they know our needs:

“The saints impetrate whatever God wishes to take place through their prayers: and they pray for that which they deem will be granted through their prayers according to God’s will.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIa, IIae Question 83, Article 11)

God wills that we journey to His heavenly Kingdom in the communion of the saints. What a blessing! How edifying! What joy!

As such, the key priorities of a Knight, which for the most part should be the key priorities of any Catholic, would be:

Devotion and obedience to the Church in union with the Holy Father, our Pope

Regular participation in the sacraments, notably Confession and the Mass

Regular Eucharistic adoration, daily if possible

Total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the praying of the Rosary

Devotion to St. Joan of Arc and St. Thérèse of Lisieux so as to develop a faith-filled, Christ centered, relationship with them

Commitment to learning the Faith well through Scripture, the Catechism, and the writings of the saints, particularly the Doctors of the Church

To pray for, and act upon, a courageous spirit of evangelization

In sum, it is about our motto: “To Jesus through Mary in the friendship and sisterly care of Sts. Joan and Thérèse”!